Rising number of service members are overweight or obese

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Rising number of service members are overweight or obese

(CNN) — The military is faced with a growing problem. Young people in the United States are heavier than ever before, preventing some men and women from enlisting.

In fact, obesity is the top reason cited for ineligibility. Military data shows the number of active-duty troops who are overweight or obese tripled from 1998 to 2010. And many of them are being dismissed.

The Washington Post reports, the Army kicked out 1600 soldiers in the first 10 months of the year. That’s well above levels from 2007, during peak wartime deployments.